


Don’t Underestimate a Featherweight

by Ladyvallhalla



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boxing, Alternate Universe - Sports, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Freezerburn - Freeform, Humor, Side Blacksun, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-08-06 10:29:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16386200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyvallhalla/pseuds/Ladyvallhalla
Summary: After beating Mercury Black in a boxing match, Yang "The Raging Dragon" Xiao Long must deal with the after effects of his wounded pride. Her father has an interesting solution and Yang meets her new bodyguard, who is definitely more than meets the eye.





	1. Round One

**Author's Note:**

> A collaboration with NameForsaken who did the amazing cover art for this story. I definitely plan to continue this, it was a lot of fun to write. I hope u like it : )

“Only two earth-shattering minutes into round two and Yang Xiao Long, our very own Raging Dragon is showing no signs of tiring!”

The commentators words were met with furious applause from the crowd surrounding the boxing ring but Yang paid them no attention. She was wholly focused on her opponent.

Mercury Black, also knew as “The Steel Trickster” was proving to be a worthy adversary. Of course his reputation preceded him and she knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight from the start.

“Yang Xiao Long goes in for the kill!” The commentator shouted enthusiastically through the microphone, nearly spilling his coffee when he gesticulated wildly. “Trying for a technical knockout in the second round; always an ambitious fighter!”

Yang dodged and weaved before throwing a few more strategic jabs. She wiped the sweat from her brow, falling back against the ropes when Mercury failed to hit her with what would have been a devastating uppercut. There were seconds to go for this round and with the knockout she was hoping for looking unlikely, Yang quickly opted for a more defensive stance, hoping to tire out her opponent for the next round.

“Strategy never lost on our young Dragon! Am I right, Oobleck!?” Port laughed and slapped his fellow commentator on the back, knocking him slightly forward over the booth. “Their skills are quite matched.”

“It remains to be seen who will tire first.” Oobleck replied. “But here comes the bell for round two. Round three promises to be most exciting.”

Yang fell back at the side of the ring immediately upon hearing the bell. She allowed herself to be sprayed with water before taking a hearty swig from the bottle and pushing it aside. A small trickle of blood ran down her face but she swiftly wiped it away, paying no attention to the pain.

“Yang! What are you doing?”

“Winning.” Yang replied, turning to see her father looking through the ropes from the outside of the ring. She wasn't surprised to see him; he attended every single one of her fights.

There followed a moment where neither of them spoke and the only sound in the auditorium was the chattering and cheering of the enthusiastic crowd. Yang knew without asking what her father was going to say, she had been hearing it for months.

“Yang you have to take a dive, you don't understand it's-”

“No…” She interrupted him with a grant. “I told you, I will not let him win!”

“Yang…” Although the pleading look in his eyes did tug at her heartstrings, she wasn't backing down.

She was tired of hearing this. Ever since her father had discovered she was planning to fight Mercury Black he had done nothing but implore her to bow out. At first he tried to talk her out of the fight altogether, but she hadn't listened. Beating Mercury was her ticket into the big leagues; there was no way she was going to turn that down. It was all she had ever wanted.

Once she had made it clear the fight was happening, he had changed tactics to practically begging her to take a dive. It was unacceptable; Yang Xiao Long was no quitter. She had ignored his pleadings and she wasn't about to start listening now, particularly when she was so close to winning.

“This isn't worth your life.” He continued to plead but it was too late. The bell for the third round rang out across the auditorium and Yang jumped to her feet. Bouncing from one foot to the other and punching her gloved fists together.

“Sorry, Dad.” She said with a smirk. “He's going down.”

Although she was sure her father had objected, Yang could no longer hear him. The crowd furiously cheered as she leapt back in for the third round.

“Round three has begun!” Ports voice cut through the cheers over the loudspeaker. “Yang is looking ready for serious business.”

“Aww yes. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a knockout in this round.” Oobleck replied. “I most certainly think Yang has the edge. It will be an absolute pleasure to see this young fighter burning her way into the big leagues. I must admit, she is one my favorites.”

The fight continued and Yang couldn't help but feel a well of confidence as she looked on her opponent. The cocky bravado he had exhibited at the start of the fight had quickly melted away when he realized this young amateur was far more capable than he had anticipated.

Yang smirked when she successfully dodged another punch and countered with one of her own. The hit landed, knocking Mercury back against the ropes. He grunted and staggered forward, glaring at her.

“Oh my!” Oobleck spoke quickly through his microphone. “Mercury Black does not look happy! Our little firecracker landed a nice little jab there!”

“Does he ever look happy? Port replied with a laugh.

“You have a very good point there. Yes, a very good point!”

“You're not winning this.” Mercury said through gritted teeth and wiped the blood from his now bleeding eyebrow.

“Well, put your money where your mouth is big guy.” Yang replied with a cocky smirk. She danced around in front of him, jabbing at his gloves that were now held up, blocking his face. “You're not looking so good, do you need a little nap?”

In an act of pure aggression, Mercury pushed forward. He attempted to bombard her with multiple punches, only to cry out in frustration when she weaved out of every single hit.

“You don't know who you're dealing with!” He grunted and kept up the aggression but his breathing was faltering.

Seeing that her opponent was tiring himself out quickly, Yang continued to block his attacks and waited for the right opportunity to counter with her own. When he missed another poorly timed punch and staggered forward, Yang seized the moment. She waved out of his path and after a few small gabs to the right to disorientating him, she swiftly moved in for kill.

The sound of Mercury hitting the floor of the ring was barely audible over the thunderous applause throughout the auditorium.

“Mercury Black is down!” Port shouted. “Is this the knockout we have been anticipating?”

“It would certainly seem so,” Oobleck was now hovering over his seat, his arms resting on top of the commentator’s desk. “I don't see him getting up from that one. That was the trademark raging dragon left hook!”

The referee was now knelt beside Mercury, pounding his hand down on the floor of the ring. Everyone waited with bated breaths when the countdown for a knockout began.

“Five!”

Mercury twitched but remained down.

“Four!”

He tried to get up, only to fall immediately back onto the ground. Yang watched, holding her breath. A few more seconds would be all it took to claim her victory.

“Three!”

“This is going to be a close one!” Oobleck shouted enthusiastically down the microphone. “I don't know about you, but I'm on the edge of my seat.”

“I can assure all our viewers that is literally true!” Port replied with a hearty laugh.

“Two!”

With one final feeble attempt, Mercury groaned loudly and tried with all his might to push himself off the ground. It was no good. He grabbed the side of his head and fell back down, crying out in pain.

“One! Knockout!”

The referee's shouts were met with a roaring applause, so much so that Yang could barely hear the commentators.

“Winner! By third round knockout! Yang 'The Raging Dragon’ Xiao Long!!” Port shouted over the loudspeakers and Yang barely had time to acknowledge the gravity of the words before her training team were surrounding her, picking her completely up off the ground to rest on their shoulders. She raised her arms in the air and grinned as the crowd started chanting her name.

When her team placed her back on the floor of the ring, she quickly approached her opponent, who was now back on his feet and being tended to by his own crew. He looked pretty worse for wear, but he still turned to acknowledge her when she approached him.

“Hey, sorry about all the goading back there, you know how it is?” Yang said cheerfully. She held out her hand and smiled at him. “That was a great fight! You're an amazing opponent.”

The offered hand reminded hanging and Mercury just stared her down, his eyes narrowing. “You are dead Xiao Long...dead.”

Yang creased her brow in confusion before pulling her hand back. “Eh, fights over buddy, I won.”

“You have no idea how much you just lost.” With that Mercury turned to leave, allowing his entourage to carry him towards the exit.

“Sore loser…” Yang muttered. She turned to look for her dad, who was standing by the side of the ring. He had a look in his eyes she had never seen before. Fear.

Had she just made a huge mistake?

* * *

Her first few hours after the victory were a whirlwind and Yang was never so happy to be home. After having her wounds tended to, she was now enjoying some much needed rest on the sofa in the living room of her apartment. Her father hadn’t left yet after driving her home and was now fussing over her.

“Dad you can go. You know, I'm fine.” Yang said when he brought over a blanket and tossed it over her lap.

“I think I should stay here tonight.” Tai replied. “Keep an eye on you.”

Yang chuckled and nudged his shoulder when he sat down beside her on the sofa. “He didn't even land any serious hits. I've had a lot worse and you never fussed this much before.”

“Your injuries are not what I'm worried about.”

Yang sighed and shook her head. “This again... really?”

“Yes, this!” Tai jumped to his feet and started pacing in front of her. “I know you don't think it's a big deal and that I'm being dramatic, but you know what happened to the other fighters that beat Mercury Black.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Yang replied with a roll of her eyes. “You told me this already.”

“Yes, and I'm tell you again.”

“Dad listen-”

“No you listen,” Tai interrupted. “I realize you're perfectly capable but Mercury Black crippled the last two opponents he lost against. They never boxed again Yang. I don't want that to happen to you.”

“There was absolutely no proof that that was him.” Yang countered. She pulled off the blanket and stood up. “I think you're being paranoid.”

“You think that's a coincidence?”

“It could be.”

Tai sighed and moved to stand in front of her, placing both hands on her shoulders. “You know I always want you to do your best and I'm damn proud of you. You were incredible in that ring today but you could have found another way to get to the big leagues. Whether you believe me or not, this wasn't worth the risk.”

Yang sighed and smiled softly at him. “I understand but it's worth the risk to me. I'm going to be a champion dad. You just watch me.”

“I don't doubt that for a second.” Tai replied with a sad smile. “I guess I was hoping I could knock some sense into you, but given how many knocks that head of yours has taken already, I’m beginning to think there's no sense there in first place.”

Yang laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Jerk.”

Tai laughed weakly and sighed. “I'm scared for you Yang. When you're in that ring I don't worry about you. That's a controlled fight and I know you can handle it, but this.”

“Nothing is going to happen, dad.”

Despite all her reassurances her father still looks skeptical. She watched as he walked over to grab his cell phone off the coffee table and flipped it open.

“I'm calling your sister to let her know I'm staying here tonight.” Before Yang had any chance to object he held his hand up and shook his head. “Nope, no arguments, it's happening.”

“Fine,” she replied with a sigh. There was little point arguing with him further and honestly it was starting to give her a headache. “Just tonight, I don't need a babysitter.”

“Well, not a babysitter exactly. I had something else in mind.” Tai replied.

“What?” Yang asked, raising her eyebrow in confusion.

After dropping his phone back down on the table, Tai gently placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her back to sit down on the sofa beside him. “I anticipated that you might win that fight tonight, so I made a call.”

“A call?” Yang narrowed her eyes at him. “Who?”

“I hired you a bodyguard.”

“What!?” A sharp pain shot through Yang’s forehead when she yelled, touching her forehead and gritting her teeth until it passed. “Are you nuts?”

“Quite possibly but that's a separate issue,” Tai could see his daughter was far from amused by his attempt to lighten the mood and he sighed heavily, placing his hand on her knee. “It’s just until this blows over.”

“I don't need a bodyguard dad, I'm a professional boxer!” Yang tried to insist. This was most ridiculous idea she had heard in a while. She was starting to wonder if Mercury had hit her on the head harder than she thought, this whole thing seemed almost too surreal to be true. “Don't you think you're overreacting?”

“I think you're under reacting.” Tai replied. “Mercury has another match in a couple of months. Whether he wins or loses that match, it will shift the focus away from you.”

When Yang attempted to interrupt him, Tai held up his hand to stop her. “If he loses, unfortunately someone else will become his target and if he wins hopefully it will recover his pride and he won't care about retaliation anymore.”

“This is ridiculous.” Yang replied, rubbing her forehead and releasing a frustrated sigh. “I'm not going to have some big dude in black suit following me around for two whole months.”

“Give me a little more credit than that,” Tai patted her on the shoulder and jump to his feet. “I hired a female bodyguard. I figured since she's going to have to live with you for two months it would make things a little more comfortable.”

“Live with me!? You really are nuts!” Yang complained. She tried to get up off the sofa but was immediately pushed back down. “This isn't happening. Nope! Call it off.”

Tai came to kneel down in front of her, his expression softening to one of concern. “Yang, please. I know you think this is your old man being overprotective but please, do this for me?”

Yang sighed and shook her head. It was sometimes impossible to say no to her father and she knew he had her best interests at heart, even if she did think he was being hysterical.

“Fine,” she sighed and rubbed her forehead. “A whole two months with some wall of muscle chick following me everywhere, who likely has the personality of a brick... wonderful.”

“Oh, I can't wait to see your face tomorrow.” Tai replied with a small smirk but waved her off when she tried to question him. “Get some rest kid. I'll be in the spare room. You holla if you need anything.”

Yang watched him ago, seeing him once again flipping open his phone on the way out the door, clearly planning to call her sister. She wondered what he could have meant by that comment but she supposed it didn't matter. One way or another, the next two months were going to be a nightmare.

* * *

The first thing Yang felt when she woke up was the incessant pounding in her head. Of course she was used to it being a professional boxer, once the adrenaline of the fight had worn off, the following few days were rarely pleasant.

She opened her eyes, wincing when the light from the window intensified the dull throbbing of her head and neck. Her arms hurt and when she lifted them to push herself up, she immediately groaned and fell back down. It wouldn't last long, and of course she had medication she took after her fights to get her through the worst of it.

A quick trip to the adjoining bathroom and she reached for her robe, pulling it over her shoulders. It was when she moved to reach for her hair brush that she stopped upon hearing sound of distant voices.

When she listened it was clear one of them was her father but the other voice, most definitely female, she didn't recognize. She moved over to the door, opening it slightly and leaning out into the hallway.

“That's all the information I have.” Yang strained her ears to better hear what was going on down stairs. “My daughter believes the incidences were coincidental, but I disagree.”

“I would say it is always safe to air on the side of caution.”

That definitely wasn't Ruby or anyone else she knew and she immediately recalled the conversation with her father the previous night. This had to be the bodyguard he spoke off.

She continued to listen for a few moments longer, before abruptly shaking her head with a frustrated sigh. She had absolutely no reason to be covert; this was her house after all. She could storm down there if she wanted to and that's exactly what she intended to do.

Storming anywhere didn't come easily however, it was far more of tired dragging of feet as she slowly made her way down stairs. She continued to listen to the voices below.

“Well, that's why I called you. I've heard you're the best there is.”

“I get results…” That female voice sounded slightly arrogant and Yang immediately imagined a tall bulking woman in a black pant suit and for some reason holding a whip but she shook that thought away quickly. That was perhaps a part of her psyche she didn't have the time or effort to explore at this exact moment.

Finally she was at the kitchen door but decided to wait for a moment and listen further before opening it.

“My girl is tough but this isn't a boxing ring... I worry what would happen if somebody suddenly ambushed her.”

Yang rolled her eyes. Talk about paranoid. She could handle anything life threw at her, particularly if it involved a fight. With that in mind she opened the door with the full intentions of telling this lump of a woman to take a running jump off a tall pier.

All those intentions were however short-lived when she came face to face with the woman in question. She stared wide-eyed in total disbelief.

This was her bodyguard? Yang was once again in a situation where she wondered if she'd hit her head harder than she thought. This girl was tiny, she looked not much taller than her sister and when she examined her closely she realized she was wearing high heels. She was even shorter than she appeared to be. She was lean and slim, didn't appear to have much in the way of muscles, and Yang was fairly sure a strong gust of wind could blow her off her feet. This couldn't possibly be her bodyguard.

“Oh you're up, good.” Tai approached her with a slight smirk. “Just in time for introductions.”

Yang didn't reply, only continued to stare past her father at this tiny little woman stood in her kitchen. Under normal circumstances and with less shock involved, she realized her only thought might have been of the girls beauty. She did however manage to push through the shock enough to notice it. She was absolutely stunning.

“Yang?” Her father continued, clicking his fingers in front of her face to pull her out of her trance. “Earth to Yang Xiao Long. You okay kid?”

“Yeah,” Yang whispered, but still allowed her stare to linger past him. “I'm fine dad.”

“Good!” Tai patted her shoulder before gripping it and leading her across the room. “Now, this is Weiss Schnee. Weiss, this is my daughter Yang.”

Weiss nodded in acknowledgement and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you Miss Xiao Long. I look forward to working with you.”

“Eh.” Yang shook her hand and her own head simultaneously. “Working with me how?”

“Yang, Miss Schnee is your bodyguard.”

There was no way that was true. How could her father possibly expect this little thing to protect her? That sounded all kinds of crazy.

“You're actually messing me with me right,” Yang said, lightly punching her father on the shoulder. “Is she one of Ruby's friends you stuck in a fancy white suit?”

“Yang! You're not being very polite.” Tai replied. “Miss Schnee is a professional bodyguard, with a practically flawless record. So stop being a little piss-ant…”

“Can it old man, you can't expect me to fall for this?” Yang replied with a chuckle. “I mean, seriously? If she's a bodyguard, I'm the queen of England.”

“Then it's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty.”

The smirk on Yang’s face suddenly dropped when she realized from her father's expression that this was no joke.

“I feel like I need to go back to bed for a year or two.”

“Miss Xiao Long.” Yang looked down at the smaller girl standing in front of her. When she moved closer she picked up on the slight scent of lavender, clearly a very expensive perfume.

“At this point just call me Yang.” She said with a sigh and Weiss nodded.

“Believe me when I tell you, this is not the first time I have encountered this sort of reaction in my line of work. But I assure you I am good at my job. I was hired to protect you, and I intend to do just that.

Yang stared at her, not quite knowing how to react. She could overreact, tell her to leave and deal with the consequences later, but she didn't want to disappoint her dad. If this is what he wanted she supposed she would just have to make the best of the situation. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing to have a pretty girl living with her for a few months.

Since she didn't believe the threat of danger was in anyway real, she had no reason to need a bodyguard in the first place, which she couldn't help thinking was a good thing, because this girl didn't have a chance in hell of protecting her.

“Yeah, well. Just so you know I think this is ridiculous.” Yang addressed her complaint directly to Weiss. “I don't need a bodyguard. You're only here because my dad is worrying over nothing.”

“I don't believe it's nothing.” Weiss said, placing the long case she was holding on the counter and putting her hands on her hips. “This threat is quite real.”

“How would you know?”

“A few years ago I was hired by a boxer named Pyrrha Nikos.”

“Pyrrha?” Yang replied. That had captured her interest, she knew Pyrrha from her time running through the amateur circuit.

“Yes, she beat Mercury Black in one of her first professional fights.” Weiss continued. “He didn't take it at all well and threatened to break her legs.”

“Charming…”

“Quite, but Pyrrha isn't one to take things lightly and after hearing off previous incidents with Mercury's past opponents, she hired me.”

As Yang listened to her talk she was struck further by her appearance. She held herself with a graceful and dignified stance, as if she'd never slouched a day in her life. Her hair was perfect, not a strand out of place, and despite her small stature there was an air of authority about her presence. She was clearly from a very privileged upbringing.

“I stayed with Miss Nikos for only a month. In which time several attempts were made on her, all failed. Once Mr. Black won against his next opponent, he luckily seemed to lose interest in any idea of retribution.”

Yang was listening but also allowed her eyes to wonder to the white case laying on the countertop, wondering what was inside. Weiss seemed to notice and moved over to the case, pulling it too her.

“I believe you are in danger Miss...Yang,” Weiss corrected herself and opened the case. “That is why I'm here.”

Yang watched closely when she opened the case on the counter. Inside was a beautiful silver rapier. The weapon was like nothing she had ever seen before, it was elegant and delicate but also looks sharp as a razor.

Weiss pulled it out of its case and flipped it over in her hand with a smile that Yang felt looked slightly smug, although it was quite beautiful nevertheless. She held the weapon in front of her before lowering it to her side and looking her directly in the eyes.

“No one will get to you with me around.”

Yang shook her head for a moment to get over the shock before smirking slightly. “You know you want to be careful, you could hurt yourself with that thing. Looks pointy”

Weiss sighed and placed her sword gently back inside its case. “You are certainly trying my patience.”

“If I try it hard enough will you leave?”

“Yang…” Tai rubbed his forehead and was about to chastise her further when Weiss interrupted him.

“Please, it's fine.” Weiss said. “I'm here to do a job. I've dealt with difficult clients before.”

“You hear that dad? I'm a difficult client.” Yang said with a chuckle. “To be fair, I’ve been called far worse.”

“I'm sure you have.” Weiss replied dryly.

“Oh ho! You've got some sass, hm? I like that!” Yang smirked. She tried to put one hand on her hip but winced when it pressed against the bruise on side, sending a heavy jolt of sharp pain through her body “Ah, crap!” She hissed through her teeth.

“Alright! I think you should go back to bed for a bit. You need rest.” Tai was immediately at her side, throwing his arm over her shoulder and helping her out of the room.

Yang wasn't going to argue with him. She allowed herself to be lead back to bed and lay down on her back, looking up at her father with a tired smile. “You're crazy for thinking that little chick can protect me? You know that right?”

“Just rest you stubborn little dragon.” Tai replied, pulling the blanket over her. “I just hope you'll not have to be proven wrong.”

Yang barely heard his reply, but she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It wasn't uncommon for her to sleep a great deal after a fight but when Yang woke, she was surprised to see that it was now dark outside her window.

“Shit,” she mumbled under her breath and sat up on her bed.

The moon light shone into the room, bathing it in light glow and she approached the window to take a look outside. The sky was clear, a bed of stars shining brightly beside a haunting full moon and she stared out at it for a moment, letting the view calm her as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. She was just about to turn to leave when something caught her eye outside. There was a small figure standing in her front garden.

Yang squinted her eyes until they adjusted to the light. Eventually she was able to see who it was.

Weiss was holding her weapon in one hand and it looked as though she was standing guard. Yang watched her great interest and a small smile on her lips. This whole thing still seemed so ridiculous to her, and she wondered how long the young bodyguard had been standing out there. She was about to head downstairs and ask that very thing when the bushes surrounding the garden started to move and rustle. It could just have been the wind, but it seemed too abrupt to be the light breeze of the evening air.

The sound clearly hadn't gone unnoticed by Weiss, and she seemed to twitch slightly, eyes frantically searching her surroundings. Yang watched closely as she moved with slow deliberate steps towards the disturbance in the nearby shrubbery.

The rustling stopped abruptly when she moved closer and a silence filled air with deafening intensity until it was swiftly broken when something flew out of the bushes with lightning speed. Weiss staggered backwards and Yang howled with laughter when a small cat rushed past the smaller girl and off into the darkness of the forest behind her house.

“That was not funny.”

Yang lent out of the window to look down at her as she shouted up. “I beg to differ...it was hilarious.” She replied, wiping away the tears in her eyes when her laughter finally calmed down. “Those pesky feline assassins... That would have been quite the purr-dicament.”

She had to laugh again when she hear Weiss huffing at her from below. “How long you been out there?” She shouted down at her. “It's the middle of the night, don't you sleep?”

Weiss moved further towards the house and looked up at her from below. “Night is when you would be more likely to get attacked. You sleep, I stand guard.”

“But I'm awake now. So why don't you sleep. I'll stand guard and I'll shout at you if anyone attacks, feline or otherwise.” Yang chuckled to herself and lent further out of the window, balancing on one foot. “You should get some beauty sleep, not that you need it mind you.” She finished with a wink and Weiss rolled her eyes before looking away.

“I don't think-”

Whatever replied she had planned never saw the light of day when suddenly something spring from the bushes that was far from feline. Yang watched as Weiss spun round with lightning fast reflexes and quickly found her sword clashing with a figure dressed entirely in black. She pushed back against him, causing him to stagger back but he soon recovered and charged at her again.

As much as she wanted too rushdown and offer Weiss some backup, Yang instead completely froze. She had never seen anything like this. Weiss was a blur of deadly grace and precision. She parried all of his attacks with ease and moved on her feet like a ballerina, it was beautiful.

He didn't stand a chance and before long Weiss had him on his knees. Deciding this was finally the time to move, Yang sprinted across her bedroom and down the stairs, entering the front garden just in time to see Weiss holding her sword against his throat.

She reached over and pulled off his mark, sneering down at him. “Tell your employer he's wasting his time.” She removed her sword from his throat, letting it rest at her side but never taking her eyes off him. “Go!”

The man jumped to his feet and sprinted off into the distance.

Yang watched, completely dumbfounded. She hated to admit to being wrong but at the same time she felt extremely elated and excited by what she had just witnessed. She grinned and moved to stand at Weiss’ side.

“Okay...so yeah, you're incredible.” She said with a small chuckle. “Color me surprised.”

Weiss rolled eyes but the small smirk did not go unnoticed. “Well, I'm glad I could entertain, but I think now you see the gravity of the situation. That was definitely an assassin hired to hurt you.”

“Can't say I'm worried,” Yang replied with a shrug. “He was no match for you. How did you learn to fight like that...I mean damn!”

“That's a long story,” Weiss sheathed her blade at her side. “But you are correct, he will have to send better assassins than that if he wants to get past me.”

“I would call that a little cocky, but hey, if you've got it, flaunt it.” Yang winked at her and she shook her head in response.

“Giving your choice in attire, I'm not surprised that's your motto.”

“Oh, been looking have you?” Yang replied, smirking at her. “You know under normal circumstances, I would definitely be asking you out on a date.”

“I don't fraternize with clients.” Weiss stated. Although Yang was sure she noticed a small blush spread across her cheeks.

“Mmm, not exactly a no.” She replied. “But, we have two whole months together. I predict a high degree of fraternization.”

“You don't take anything seriously, do you?”

“Nope!” Yang replied with a grin before it suddenly dropped. “Well, yeah. I take my profession seriously and other stuff, and, damn quit getting deep! I'm trying to flirt here!”

For the first time since they met Weiss offered her a genuine smile and a slight chuckle. “My apologies for interrupting your highly inappropriate flirting.”

“Highly inappropriate flirting is the best kind.” Yang replied. “And you're excused, just don't do it again.”

“Two months of this…” Weiss replied with a sigh. “wonderful.”

“Couldn't agree more!” Yang laughed and started walking back towards the house. “Come on! I'll make you some coffee and you can sit there quietly and pretend you're not enjoying my witty banter.”

As Weiss watched her head inside the house, she couldn't help a small smile of amusement. Perhaps this assignment wouldn't be so bad after all. The next two months were definitely going to be interesting.


	2. Don't I Know You?

It had been four reasonably uneventful days since that first, and at this point only assassination attempt and Yang had finally been able to convince her father to return home. Things had started to settle down into her normal after fight routine, or as normal as it could be whilst being followed around by a small girl carrying a fencing sword.

The first few days she hadn't left the house, taking time to rest and recuperate. It was during this time she had quickly learnt that her new companion was not much of a conversationalist.

Weiss just continued to stand guard at night and since curiosity got the better of her, Yang had secretly observed her on a few occasions. Every night she would stand vigilant in the back garden of the house until the early hours of the morning, then she would disappear inside. Yang could only assume this was when she slept, but given that Weiss was also there when she woke up, the girl couldn't have been sleeping for more than a few hours a night.

Today was no different and when Yang entered the kitchen, there she was as usual, sat at the counter with a cup in her hand.

“Morning.” Yang greeted her in the midst of a loud yawn, stretching her arms above her head and taking a seat on the other side of the counter.

“You're up and dressed,” Weiss said, raising her eyebrow. “It's seven in the morning.”

“Indeed it is and indeed I am.” Yang reached over to grab an empty cup and the freshly made pot of coffee from the countertop. For the last few days Weiss had been taking the liberty of preparing the morning coffee. She said it made sense since she was always the first one up.

“But I don't believe I've ever seen you up before nine.” Weiss replied. “Let alone fully clothed.”

After taking a few slips of her morning coffee, Yang replied with a cheerful smile. “That's because today I'm going out.”

“You are?”

The first few days of her recovery after a match Yang would always stay at home. Her father always ensured she had plenty of provisions to last at least a week, maybe longer, depending on how brutal the fight had been. Now though it was business as usual and that meant one thing, training for the next fight. Although her next fight had yet to be officially announced, that didn't matter, the more training she got the more ready she would be when the call eventually came.

“I'm feeling much better, only a few bruises here and there.” Yang quickly drained the last of her coffee and stood up. “I'm heading for the gym.”

“But it's only been four days, don't you require more recovery time?”

“Aww, you worried about me?” Yang smirked, winking at her and chuckling when Weiss rolled her eyes. “I didn't know you cared.”

“It's my job to care.” Weiss replied her face betraying no emotion but annoyance. “Plus given the circumstances it's probably wise to stay in one place.”

“Why?” It was obvious straight away that Yang wasn't heeding her words and she walked off into the living room to grab her jacket. “Harder to hit a moving target. Besides you can't expect me to stay cooped up in here.”

As much as she hated to admit it, Yang was right. Clearly she wasn't a sit still and wait kind of person, Weiss could tell that from the start and although it was easier to keep a closer eye on her at home, this was inevitable.

“How far away is this gym?” Weiss asked, hopping off her stool to retrieve her own jacket.

“Not far, why?” The realization dawned on her when she noticed Weiss pulling on her jacket and moving to retrieve her fencing sword, placing it inside her carry case. She didn't need to wait for an answer. “You're coming with me, aren't you?”

“Of course I am. It's my job to watch you, that means where you go, I go.”

Yang sighed and grabbed her gym bag from the floor next to the door. “Should have known really. I swear yesterday I was sure you were going to follow me into the bathroom.”

“I would not!” Weiss protested. “I waited outside the door…”

“Well, I was only showering, so I wouldn't necessarily have minded.” Yang replied with a smirk. “And I'm sure you wouldn't have either.”

Over the last few days Yang had discovered one added bonus to the presence of her interesting new bodyguard. Weiss was super fun to mess with. Although the clearly tough as nails young fencer pretended not to be flustered or bothered by her flirting and inappropriate jokes, it was obvious they had an effect on her. Watching her struggle to contain herself had quickly become Yang's favourite form of entertainment.

“I have no desire to see that…” Although Weiss made this declaration with a straight face, the small reddening of her cheeks was clearly visible.

“Oh really?” Yang winked and opened the front door. “I believe you, millions wouldn't. Oh wait nevermind, I don't believe you.”

“Can we just go?” Weiss folded her arms across her chest, shooting one of her best glares in Yang’s direction. It had absolutely no effect on the teasing smirk plastered on her face. “Perhaps if you're exercising it'll keep you quiet for a while and I'll certainly be thankful for that.”

The smirk didn't falter and Yang just chuckled. Another thing that she had been enjoying about her new companion, she wasn't uncomfortable giving as good as she got. The snappy comebacks just made her even more fun to tease.

“Righto, here, you'll need this.”

When Yang handed her the bike helmet, it took Weiss a few moments to register the implications and when she did both her eyebrows raised, unfortunately interrupting the glare she'd been attempting to maintain.

“You're not serious?”

“Not usually no,” Yang replied with a smirk. “But this time I am. What's wrong, don't like motorbikes?”

Weiss thought carefully before answering that question. Although she had no particular issue with people riding motorcycles, she had never had any desire to do so herself.

“They're not particularly safe.” She answered and narrowed her eyes when she received a laugh in reply.

“You throw yourself head first into danger on a daily basis, but you're afraid of motorcycles?” Yang replied, chuckling and grabbing her keys from the bowl beside the door.

“I didn't say I was afraid.” Weiss protested. “Just that there are safer ways to travel, like a car, or on foot.”

It seemed Yang was ignoring her protests and Weiss followed her quickly as she headed out the front door. The bike in question was parked out in the front yard, and without a moment's hesitation Yang through her leg over the seat and pulled on her helmet.

“Listen, tiny fencer.” Yang stopped to chuckle at the glare she received for the pet name and made a mental note to use it more in the future. “I'm going by bike, so if you're coming, hop on. If not, smell you later.”

“You're a ridiculous person…” Weiss replied with a sigh, pulling on the helmet she had been given. She had no desire to ride this monstrosity, but her job was to shadow her charge wherever she went, so she was left with little choice.

Getting on the bike proved a little difficult given her height and she had to momentarily take hold of Yang's arm, using it to steady herself as she climbed up behind her. Once in her seat she wasn't quite sure what to do with her hands and settled for grabbing on to the handle behind her back.

“Hey, if this is your first time on a bike, you're better off holding onto me, trust me you'll feel safer that way.” As Yang spoke she turned on the engine and kicked away the stand.

“I'm perfectly fine, thank you.” Weiss replied. Although it wasn't entirely true, she had no intention of letting it be known just how nervous this scenario was making her.

“Your call.”

Without any further hesitation, Yang wasted no time setting off at full speed. She knew exactly what would happen and couldn't help a self-satisfied chuckle when a set of small arms quickly wrapped around her waist, hanging on for dear life. As the scenery flew pass them, the grip tightened, until Weiss was fully pressed up against her back.

“You okay back there?”

No reply came, or none Yang could hear, so she continued on. Further into the city and only a few miles from the gym, she slowed a little.

It felt good to be out in the city again, after the last few days of near isolation it seemed busier than she ever remembered it being. Yang's house was a good hour out of Vale, in the countryside that surrounded the city. People rushing through the streets, on their way work most likely given the time. The sound of distant traffic and the ever present construction made a refreshing change from the mind-numbing silence of her small city-side neighbourhood. She slowed further, taking a moment to enjoy the bustling metropolis of the industrious city of Vale.

“Oh hey! My favourite burger place is open again.” Yang yelled as they slowly drove past the newly renovated restaurant. “We should definitely hit that up later.”

There was still no reply from behind her but since they had finally arrived at the gym, Yang didn't question it.

The bike pulled up outside a large modern looking building with glass windows and Yang pulled down the kickstand, putting the bike into park and turned off the engine. She quickly removed her helmet, shaking her hair out and looking up at the tall building with a smile.

“Here we are, Vale City gym.” She still received no reply and turned her head to see the smaller girl behind her finally untangle herself and leaning back on the bike seat.

Yang didn't speak, only watched as Weiss carefully swung her leg over the seat. She staggered slightly when her feet touched the ground, placing her hand on the bike to steady herself and removing her helmet with the one hand.

It was hard not to chuckle, and Yang had to bite her lip to prevent herself from doing just that. The look on her bodyguards face was absolutely priceless. Her hair was dishevelled from the helmet, her face red as beetroot and her breathing slightly laboured.

“You alright?” Yang asked, hopping off the bike. “You don't look so good.”

It looked as though Weiss was attempting to summon up an answer, but before she could open her mouth Yang spotted a woman dressed in a black suit speeding up behind her.

“Yang Xiao Long?” The woman shouted, jogging towards them.

“Oh no…” Yang sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Blake Belladonna, professional sports journalist and full time pain in her butt, wasn't an unfamiliar sight. They had crossed paths before and although Yang didn't mind the young woman, Blake was far too good at what she did, and endlessly persistent when it came to getting a story.

“I didn't expect to see you out and about so soon.” Blake said now she was finally standing in front of her. “You made a fast recovery.”

“Wasn't that bad a fight.” Yang replied with a shrug. “He came off worse.”

“So I heard. So, can I get an interview?”

Yang chuckled and shook her head. “Don't waste time, do you? No, ‘Hello Yang, you're looking particularly radiant this morning, can I buy you breakfast and maybe interview you?’ You just cut right to the point. I wonder are you like this on dates?”

“Well, I'm sure you would love to find out, but I'm really just after an interview.” Blake replied, smirking slightly.

This was exactly the reason Yang liked this young reporter so much, despite how annoying and persistent she could be; she was never short of a witty comeback or two. The banter was entertaining, but she was in no mood to be grilled by the paparazzi.

“Sorry Belladonna, no deal. I'm not interested.” She said, turning back to Weiss, who was watching them with great interest having finally regained her senses. “I'm just here for a workout.”

Yang didn't make it two steps before Blake was in front of her, blocking her path. “Wait, at least tell me if the rumours are true.”

“You mean that I'm fabulously good looking? Yeah, they’re true.”

Blake rolled her eyes and when she briefly glanced to Yang’s side she noticed the smaller girl, who up until this point she had paid little attention to, did the same. She didn't pull her eyes away, examining the girl and tilting her head. “I feel like I know you.” She said, rubbing her chin.

There was a long drawn out moment of silence before Blake's eyes widened and a smile spread across her lips. “Schnee? You're Weiss Schnee, aren't you?”

“Perhaps, what of it?” Weiss replied.

“What of it? You're Weiss Schnee, world famous professional fencing champion until you quit for no apparent reason and became a bodyguard for hire.”

There was slight “Ohh” that came from Yang’s direction, but Weiss ignored it and kept her focus on the reporter. “Yes, but I didn't ask for my life story, what's your point?”

Suddenly Blake looked a little more excited, pulling out her notepad with a wide smile. “My point is, if your here with Yang, that basically confirms it. The rumours are true, otherwise, why would she need a bodyguard?”

Weiss wasn't exactly sure how to answer that, but fortunately for her she wasn't given the opportunity before Yang interjected, stepping in front of her. “She isn't my bodyguard.” Yang said, smiling proudly. “She's my girlfriend.”

The words hung in the air and for a moment no one, including Yang, knew quite what to say.

“Ohh.” Blake shrugged, looking very disappointed by the confession. Clearly for the sake of her headline grabbing story, that wasn't the answer she was hoping for. “I didn't realize.”

“Nor did I.” Weiss said, narrowing her eyes and glaring at Yang who chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her neck.

“Heh, babe, you're funny.” She said, throwing her arm over Weiss’ shoulder. “She's a real joker.”

“So, these rumours?”

“Look, Blake,” Yang interrupted, holding a hand up. “I get that you're doing your job and all that, but I just wanted to spend the morning with my girl here.” As she spoke Yang pulled Weiss a little closer into her side. “Maybe another time, hm?”

There was another flash of disappointment from the reporter before she shrugged her shoulders and put her notepad back in her jacket pocket. “Fine,” she replied with a sigh. “But I know there's a story here. I'm not going to drop it. You'll see me again soon.”

“Oh I don't doubt that, but if you could just let us have our alone time, you know? Young love.” Yang replied with a grin. Despite how unplanned this little stunt had been, she was actually starting to enjoy herself a little. Although the look of pure hate she was receiving from her small companion was making her a little nervous of the fallout.

With a small nod, Blake turned to leave. “Have a good day, I'll be seeing you.” She said, wandering off into the distance. It wasn't until Blake turned the corner and was completely out of sight that Weiss spring into action, quickly pushing Yang off her and stepping back.

“What on Earth was that about?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest and leaning on one hip. “Why did you tell her we're together?”

“Eh...well,” Yang chuckled nervously. “I didn't want her to know who you really are.”

Weiss didn't reply, just tilted her head and tapped her foot impatiently, clearly waiting for Yang to elaborate further.

Under the stare of eyes that could melt steel with their intensity, Yang gulped and continued to explain. “If she knew you were my bodyguard it would basically confirm the rumours, which I can only assume have something to do with the attempts on my life. I can't deal with the fall out right now; the paparazzi would be all over me.”

That seemed to appease the rage and Weiss nodded, relaxing her posture. “I suppose that's true, however, you could have come up with a better explanation.”

“Wouldn't have been as much fun though.” Yang replied with a small smirk.

When Yang started to head inside the building Weiss followed her, walking up to the large glass automatic doors.

“Yang, you do realize that the press are already aware of Mercury and his antics.” Weiss continued to speak as they arrived inside the large gymnasium. “The only reason they can't publish the stories is the lack of evidence against him. Accusing him directly without any evidence that he's the culprit would be considered slander.”

“They can't finger him, hm?” Yang replied, weaving her way through the many machines and towards the locker room.

The gym wasn't busy, only a few people running on the treadmills and lifting weights. No one took much notice of their presence as they made a way through locker room doors. Yang immediately threw her gym bag down on the bench, sitting down next to it.

“There's still a story here, even if they can't name him directly.” She said. “The fact that I've hired a bodyguard and people are trying to off me, that's a story in of itself. Didn't you have to deal with that before, with the others he targeted?”

Weiss sat down beside her on the bench, creasing her nose. She clearly wasn't used to the smell of a gym locker room. “None of my other charges were as high profile as you, it mostly slipped under the radar and since the police were never able to find any evidence against Mercury, they simply put those incidences down to isolated and unconnected attacks.”

“A bunch of professional athletes, all get injured to career ruining degrees after fighting and beating the same boxer, and its unconnected attacks?” Yang shook her head, chuckling slightly. “Maybe I thought the same at first, but saying it out loud again...it's ridiculous.”

Weiss nodded and sighed. “Yes, but no evidence aside from that, it's not enough for a conviction.”

Yang started pulling off her boots, opening her gym bag right after to retrieve her training sneakers. “Can I ask you something?” She said, standing up to remove her jeans.

Finally taking note of the fact that Yang was starting to strip down, Weiss quickly averted her eyes and turned away. “Sure.”

“Why did you let that assassin go? Why not turn him in, call the cops.”

Ignoring the rustling of clothing behind her, Weiss kept her eyes facing the wall, making sure not to look. “I did that before, it was fruitless. I don't know where Mercury is getting these assassins from, but they're loyal. Not one of them would turn him in, all more than willing to face jail to protect him.”

Weiss heard a small hum behind her but didn't turn to see if Yang had finished getting changed. She continued to stare at the wall until her vision was blocked when Yang moved to stand in front of her, now dressed in a tight fitting orange tank top and black shorts. When Weiss looked up a little she couldn't help but notice that the tank top was far too short, and the strong but lean muscles of Yang’s stomach were clearly visible beneath. She tried to look away, but find herself hopelessly transfixed.

“Enjoying the view?” When she looked up, Yang was smirking down at her. “Can't say I blame you.”

Weiss quickly averted her eyes and stood up, cursing herself. It was entirely unprofessional to look at her employer in such a way. She would have to make sure that didn't happen again in the future.

“I was simply thinking you could do with a new shirt, that one seems a bit small for you.” She said, ignoring a small chuckle and accusing smirk that followed.

“Like I said before, if you got it, flaunt it.” Yang replied, winking at her. “Besides, I don't mind you looking, you are my girlfriend after all.”

“Will you just not…”

Yang laughed and patted her shoulder. “Fine, but you realize we have to keep up that presence whenever the paparazzi are you around, right?”

Of course she knew that was the case, now the lie was out in the world there was no taking it back without suspicion. Yang was right when she said that having the press hounding them would be annoying and inconvenient. It was far easier to deal with this situation without the added complication. Although she was sure that reporter wasn't going to let this drop, it would at least keep her at bay for the time being.

“Still think you could have come up with something else.”

“I was kinda just winging it.” Yang replied. “It got rid of her didn't it? So it worked.”

“I suppose so…”

When they exited the locker room, Yang wandered off across the gymnasium, heading straight for the weight machines. Weiss found an empty bench, taking a seat where she could see her. The time to herself was a much needed moment to reflect on everything that had happened over the last few days.

Although it was good that there hadn't been another assassination attempt, it also felt foreboding and Weiss was sure it was the calm before the storm. Mercury was planning something and when he struck again she would be ready. Of course it was unfortunate that they now had the added complication of dodging a reporter on top of everything else.

She wondered how long this would continue. Of course it was only necessary to protect Yang until Mercury had his next fight. As proven in the past, whether he won or lost, his focus would always switch away. However, this would only continue with his next opponent. When and how would it all end? She dreaded to think that eventually he would do the unthinkable and actually end somebody's life.

As she pondered the possibilities, she kept her eyes focused on Yang. This boxer was unlike the others she had guarded before. Even with a sword hanging over her head Yang was able to handle the threat in such a cavalier fashion. At first it infuriated her, made her believe that she simply wasn't taking the threat seriously, and at first that was perhaps the case. Now her perception had changed and she realized that was perhaps just part of who she was. She had to admit, there was something about this girl that fascinated her immensely.

Before she knew it, a few hours had passed, and it wasn't until Yang flopped down on the bench beside her, covered in a thin layer of sweat and still catching her breath, that Weiss realized just how deep she had been in her own thoughts.

“You seem worried tiny fencer.”

Weiss chose to ignore the pet name and sighed, jumping to her feet. “I'm fine. I'm not worried, I'm good at what I do. Nothing will happen to you, I promise.”

“I know.” Yang replied, smiling up at her and wiping the sweat from her neck and shoulders. “I need to shower and change, and then we can head back, okay?”

“Okay, that's fine,” Weiss suddenly paused, realizing what heading back to Yang’s home meant. “Wait...on the bike?”

“Well, that's how we got here.” Yang replied, raising her brow in confusion. “So, yeah, on the bike.”

When Weiss frowned, looking down at her feet and sighing loudly, Yang stood up, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “I can drive slower, if you like?”

“No,” Weiss replied, taking a few steps back. “That's not the issue.”

“Then what is?”

A small moment of silence stretched out before Weiss shifted her expression from worry to a hardening of her features. It happened in an instant, almost like a mask and Yang watched her with great interest. Studying the way her posture straightened and her eyes intensified.

“It's perfectly fine, let's go.” She said, turning on her heels and heading for the locker room. “The quicker you shower, the quicker we can leave.”

“You know what, no.” Yang chased after her, stepping in front of her and blocking the door. “Let's not leave yet.”

Weiss raised her eyebrow, placing her hand on her hip and leaning on it. “What do you mean? You want to exercise more?”

“God no, I'm beat but remember that burger place we passed on the way here? Let's hit that.” She said with a grin. “I think you need to unwind.”

“I need no such thing, I'm perfectly fine.”

“Yeah, yeah, you're perfectly fine, but I'm sure you're also perfectly hungry. It's nearly lunchtime.”

Embarrassingly and as if on cue Weiss’ stomach released aloud rumble, causing Yang to laugh. She huffed and charged past her into the locker room, shouting an annoyed “fine” as she passed.

Yang watched her go with a grin.

Despite the fact that she had been forced into this situation by the circumstances, the more she spent time with this girl the more her curiosity piqued. Weiss was fascinating, and with each passing day, she wanted to learn more about her. What made her tick? What had caused that mask of emotions she had seen only moments ago?

As Yang considered all these questions and more, she followed Weiss into the locker room. Maybe now she had secured herself a lunch date of sorts she could get to know her better.

One thing was for sure, life with Weiss Schnee as her shadow certainly wasn't mundane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there is it, chapter two. Chapter three is already written just needs editing so shouldn't be too long. 
> 
> If you like this story so far please remember to leave me a review and thanks for reading : )


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